Risk factors linked to COVID-19 in HCWs

Editor's Note

This study finds that most risk factors associated with COVID-19 infection in US healthcare workers (HCWs) are outside the workplace.

In this analysis of 24,749 volunteer HCWs at four large healthcare systems in three states (ie, Emory Healthcare in Atlanta, Johns Hopkins Medicine and University of Maryland Medical System in Maryland, and Rush University System in Chicago), contact with an individual outside the workplace with known COVID-19 exposure was the strongest risk factor associated with an HCW becoming COVID-19 positive.

Living in a zip code with higher COVID-19 incidence was also a strong risk factor.

None of the workplace factors that were assessed, including nurse job role, working in the emergency department, or workplace contact with COVID-19-positive patients, were associated with HCWs becoming COVID-19 positive.

The findings suggest that current infection prevention strategies in healthcare are effective in preventing patient to HCW transmission in the workplace, the researchers say.